Ditching or excavating machine.



No. 645,752. Patented Mar. 20, I900. M. c. MACKEY.

DITGHING OR-EXCAVATING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 26, 1899.)

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No. 645,752. Pafented Mar. 20, 1900.

M. C. MACKEY. DITCHING 0R EXCAVATING MACHINE.

. (Application filed Aug. 26, 1899.! (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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rrsn STATES I Futon.

PATENT MICHAEL o. MAOKEY, or s1. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,752, dated March20, 1900.

' Application filed August 26, 1899. Serial No. 728,602. (No model.)

To all 1071 0771, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL O. MACKEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Ditchingor Excavating Machines; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in ditching or excavating machines;and it consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts, aswill be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is rear elevation of my complete invention asin operation, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

' The object of my invention is to construct a practical and durableditching or excavating machine wherein the conveyer, which consists of aseries of traveling buckets, may be adjusted at a suitable elevationduring the travel of the machine, whereby an excavation may be made inthe ground of a uniform depth notwithstanding the irregularities of theground over which the machine travels, and whereby piping or otherconduits may be laid immediately behind the machine without additionallabor in properly shaping and forming the excavation of a uniform depth,as is necessary in all excavating-machines now in use; and it consistsof an adj ustable carriage which is carried by the frame of the machine,of an endless conveyer consisting of a series of buckets which areadapted to be brought in contact with the ground to be operated upon,means for adj usting said carriage by hand while the machine is inoperation, and suitable gearing for imparting motion to said endlessconveyer,

the details of the several parts of which will be-hereinafter morespecifically described.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a frame, which is mounted uponwheels 2, and, as shown in the drawings, represents the rear end of themachine, the forward end of which may be of any well-known constructionand carries an engine (not shown) for imparting motion to the severalparts. Leading from the engine above referred to is a power-shaft 3, towhich is fixed a bevel-pinion 4, which meshes with a beveled gear-wheel5, fixed to one end of a transverse shaft 6, the latter having itsbearings in the opposite parallel upper members 7 of the adjustablecarriage and passing through slots 8, formed in the upright stationarysupport 9, forming a rigid part of the frame 1, the latter formingguideways and supports for the adjustable frame hereinafter to bedescribed.

As before stated, the adj ustable frame consists of upper members 7,between which is held and supported avertical guide 10 by rods 11,thesaid guide adj ustably receivinga vertical depending bar 12, the upperend of which is slotted, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1,

through which passes one of the' rods 11, the parts being adjusted inrespect to one another by screw-threaded bolts 13, one end of which isremovably secured to the angular extensions 14 of said guide l0 andpassing through screw-threaded openings formed in the angular plates 15,secured to the bar 12, whereby the endless conveyer may be adjuste'd,or, more properly, the chain 16, forming a part thereof, in order thatthe proper tension may be given the latter. J ournaled in the lower endof the depending bar are two sprocket-wheels 17, over which the endlesschains 16 of the conveyer pass, and fixed to a shaft 18, journaled inthe upper ends of the members 7 of the adjustable frame, are two similarsprocket-wheels 19, over which said chains 16 also pass, whereby whenthe machine is set in motion the buckets 20, carried by said chain, areintermittently brought in contact with the ground to be excavated andelevated, together with the dirt contained in said buckets, to asuitable elevation and delivered to a suitable position remote from themachine, all of which is of the usual construction and somewhat similarto the patent issued to me on the 20th day of October, 1896, No.569,975, for a similar machine.

Forming an integral part of the upright stationary supports 9 of themachine are two extensions 21, which form bearings for the transverseshafts 22, to which are fixed pinions 23, which mesh with the rack-bars24, formed on the outer faces of the upper members 7 of, the adjustableframe, the lower pair of pinions merely acting as a guide for saidmembers and the upper pair adapted to impart motion to the adjustableframe in a substantially-vertical direction by the mechanism hereinafterdescribed, the opposite edge of the said adjustable frame being guidedand held in its proper position in respect to the stationary supports 9by guides 25, forming an integral part of the latter, as clearly shownin Fig. 1.

Secured to one end of the upper shaft 21 is a worm-gear 26, and meshingwith the same is a worm-plnion 27, carried by the upper end of anoperating-shaft 28, which is mounted in suitable bearings 29, to thelower end of which shaft is fixed ahand-wheel 30, which is located atthe rear of the machine, whereby motion is imparted to said shaft, andconsequently to the pinions 23, carried thereby, and in turn impartsmotion in either direction, as may be desired, to the adjustable framecarrying the endless conveyer, whereby the latter may be adjusted as themachine is in operation and travels along the ground, and consequentlyan excavation of uniform depth may be made notwithstanding theirregularities of the ground over which the machine travels.

Fixed to the ends of the upper shaft 18, carried by the adjustableframe, are two sprocket-wheels 31, and also fixed to the shaft 6, on theoutside of the supports 9, are similar sprocket-wheels 32, the latterbeing smaller in dimensions, over which sprocketwheels twosprocket-chains 33 pass forimpartin g motion to the endless excavatorand conveyer.

From the construction and arrangement as above described it will be seenthat the power-shaft 3, together with its cooperating parts, must besusceptable to a slight vertical movement, and therefore a guide 34 issecured to one of the supports 9, with. which the bevel-pinion 4cooperates, the end of said power-shaft 3 being located in a bearing 35,

carried by one end ofthe shaft 6, which firmly holds the said pinion inits proper position in respect to the bevel-gear 5 notwithstanding thedirection in which the adjustable frame is moved, and secured to thelatter is a bracket 36, the lower end of which forms a bearing throughwhich the shaft 6 also passes in order to properly hold and support thelatter, and also formed in the supports 9 are slots 8, which allow forthe adjustment or movement of the adjustable frame and partsaccompanying the same when the hand-wheel 30 is turned in eitherdirection for regulating the endless conveyer at its proper depth withinthe ground.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts herein shown and described, as the same may be varied in manyrespects without departing from the nature of my invention; nor do Ilimit myself to any particular construction of endless excavator andconveyor, as many forms may be used with success, the principal objectbeing to construct and devise an adjustable frame which may be raisedand lowered in a substantially vertical position by suitable devices,the said frame carrying the 1. An excavating-machine, comprising asuitable frame, an adjustable carriage guided by the latter, in asubstantially-vertical position, shafts carried by the upper and lowerends of said carriage, sprocket-wheels fixed to said shafts, an endlessconveyer and excavator passing over said sprocket-wheels,sprocket-wheels also fixed to the opposite ends of the upper shaft, asuitable power-shaft, sprocket-wheels fixed to the latter, sprocketchains passing over the last-named sprocketwheels, and thesprocket-wheel fixed to the ends of the upper shaft of said carriage,means for imparting motion to said powershaft, and suitable mechanismfor adjusting the carriage in respect to the frame of the machine, asand for the purpose described.

2. An excavating-machine, comprising a suitable frame, supports formingsuitable guideways, a suitable carriage comprising parallel members, theupper ends of which are provided with suitable bearings, a shaftjournaled in said bearings, sprocket-wheels fixed to said shaft, a guidecarried by said parallel members of the carriage, a bar adjustablysecured within said guide, the lower end of which is provided withsuitable bean ings, a shaft journaled in the latter, sprocketwheelsfixed to said shaft, an endless conveyer and excavator passing over saidsprocketwheels, suitable means for imparting motion to the upper shaft,a rack-bar formed on the said vertical parallel members of the carriage,shafts mounted in said supports, pinions fixed to said shafts, andmeshing with said rack-bars, a worm-gear secured to one end of the uppershaft, an operating-shaft mounted in suitable bearings, a worm-pinionfixed to said operating-shaft, and meshing with said worm-gear, andmeans for imparting motion to said operating-shaft, as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.l

MICHAEL O. MAC/KEY.

VVit-nesses:

ALFRED A. lVlATHEY, O. F. KELLER.

